James c



(No Model.)

YJ. C. MITCHELL.

CAR GOUPLING.

No. 285,145. Patented Sept. 18, 1888. Y

UNITED STATES y PATENT EEICEo JAMES C. MITCHELL, CELANCASTEE, N. H.,AssIeNoR on Two-THIEDS To LIAMES A. SMITH AND ALDEN E. TINKHAM, BOTH CESAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 285,145, datedseptember 18, 18:53.l

\ Application filed June 1;', 1883A No modclfv To @ZZ whom it mayconcern/.'-

Beit known that I, JAMES C. MITCHELL, of Lancaster, county of Coos,State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Car- Couplings,of which the follgwing description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representinglike parts.

This invention is an improvement on United States Letters Patent No.259,647, granted to me June 13, 1882, and has for its object 4tosimplify the construction of the same` and increase the strengthanddurability of the parts.

In this invention the web or spline is arranged at the front side of thelink-pin, instead of at the rear side thereof', as in the said patent,and is extended down along the said pin to a point opposite which thelink acts on the said pin, thereby enabling the said web or spline toreceive and resist a large part of the strain exerted by the link on thelink-pin when the train is being moved,which is not the case when theweb4 orspline is ,at the rear side of the link-pin, and the strainexerted on the latter is from the rear toward the front side of the saidpin. In my present invention I have changed the shape of theelevating-pawl, making it shorter and lighter, and have pivoted it uponthe. web or spline referred to, instead of upon a small lug at the frontside of the linkpin. I have also devised a simple form of rock-shaft bywhich to operate the link-pin by hand.

Figure 1 is a vertical central longitudinal section taken through thehead of a draw-bar embodying my invention, the link-pin and"elevating-pawl being in elevation, Fig. 2, a front elevation of the headof a draw-bar, showing my improved link-pin and elevatingpawl, and Fig.3 is a perspective view,` showing one of my improved car-couplings andoperative parts as attached to a railway-car.

The draw-bar A, applied in suitable guides under the car-body B, has ahead, A-, provided with an upwardly-inclined oor or plane, C, againstwhich, as in the said' patent, the entering end of the link F rides asthe latter is being pushed into the draw-head to be entered by thelink-pin, as in the said patent.

The head A is provided witha suitable hole to receive the link-pin E, ofusual size, but

provided at its front side with aweborspline, e2.A The web or spline e,besides preventing the rotation of the link-pin, also, by itsarrangement at the front of the said pin, (the pulling strain thereinwhen starting'a-car and drawing the same being outward toward the openhead of the draw-bar,) acts to so stiffen and strengthen the pin thatthe latter cannot be bent or broken, as is apt to be the case with 6oalink-pin having the web or spline at its rear side. This web or splinealso serves to receive thel pivot a, which holds the upper end of thepin-elevating pawl D, the face of which is inclined, as shown at Fig. 1,and the lower end of which is shown as placed in ashallow groove, e3, inthe head A, so that the said pawl cannot be struck and moved laterallywith relation togthe width of the draw-head. This groove eais madeshallow as it approaches and. 7o

vanishes at the hole which receives the lower end of the link-pin, as isthe case when the end of the link F strikes the inclined front edge oftthe elevating-pawl D, and, acting thereon, effects the lifting of thesaid pawl and the link- 7 5 pin with which it is connected, forthepassage under b oth of them of the said link, the linkpin thereafterdropping by its own gravity into the said link.

The eye at the upper end of the link-pin re- 8o l ceives a short link,f, that is joined with the arm gof a rock-shaft, g', supported insuitable bearings, g2, and having other arms, g3, which, engaged by theoperator, may be used to turn the said rock-shaft and lift the link-pin.

By shortening the elevating-pawl and bringing its inclined front, facenearer the center line of the link-pin than in the said patent, I amenabled to secure a more direct lift of the said pin, thereby reducingstrain thereon when 9o the latter is being lifted by the link F; Theupper corner, 3, of the pawl D, close to the pivot a, is. most remotefrom the center of the link-pin, and the front of the said pawl isinclined downward and backward from the cor- 95 ner 3 to the cxtreme end4 of the said pawl, as in Fig. 1, and the link D, when it strikes thesaid pawl, is compelled to move it backward with its lower endsubstantially in contact with the link-pin before the link can possiblypass Ioo under the said pawl, the link-pin and pawl thus moving upwardin unison, whereas with apawl shaped as shown in the said patent thelink might lift and pass under it if the other end of the pawl were notheld down or the pawl were not made very heavy.

I do not broadly claim a link-pin provided with a web or spline7 as I amaware that a link-pin has been provided at its rear side with a web; butin no case has the said web extended along the said pin, so as tostiiien it immediately at the point of contact of the link with the saidpin. If the web were placed'at the rear side of the pin and extendedsufiiciently low for the link to come against it, then the web would beeasily broken out; but by placing the web at the front side, the linkdoes not act directly upon it; hence the location ofthe web at the frontside of the pin is a matter of importance.

I do not broadly claim a crank-shaft i'or lifting the link-pin, as sucha device is cominon in numerous car-couplings.

I claiml. The draw-bar having the head and the link-pin7 combined withthe elevating-paw]7 Vpivoted at its upper end upon the link-pin,

and resting at its lower end upon the inclined plane of the head, thesaid pawl having its face inclined downward and backward from the corner3 to its lower end7whereby the link7 when striking the inclined face ofthe pawl7 is gemma prevented from passing under the pawl without alsolifting the link-pin in unison with it7 substantially as described.

2. The draw-bar, its head, and a liftingpawl adapted to lift thelink-pin, combined with a link-pin provided at its front side with a webor spline to a point opposite where the link bears against the said pin,as shown, to strengthen lthe same in the direction of the greateststrain thereon, substantially as described.

3. The d1'aw-ba17its head provided with the groove e, and the link-pin7combined with the elevating-pand, to operate7 all substantially asdescribed.

4L. The draw-bar7 its head provided with the inclined plane7 and thelink pin, provided with a spline at its front side and extended thereonto apoint opposite where the link meets the link-pin7 and theelevating-pawl D7 pivoted upon the said pin7 combined with therock-shaft7 having arms g g, by which to' lift the said pin7substantially as described.

In testimony whereoiIhave signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES C. MITCHELL.

Vitnesses:

F. D. HUrcHiNs, PoR'rUs L. Lociin.

